On Sunday 7th September I’m skipping out of Scotland. With a wee bit of funding from Creative Scotland, I’m heading to cities in the northeast of North America in a pilgrimage to some of the heartlands of spoken word. I’ll be giving feature sets at some big nights, throwing my hat into the ring for some of the biggest and best slams in the world, interviewing organisers and spoken word artists, having a great time, and trying to bring back ideas and inspiration to our flourishing Scottish scene.

Part of the work I’ve been funded to do is to blog regularly about the experience, finding out how spoken word and performance poetry happen in North America, what we can learn from organisers there, and what’s special about what we do in Scotland. I’m also going to be building touring connections for other poets who are interested in making their way over the pond, and running a workshop when I get back to talk about what I’ve learned.

So for the next month, here’s where you can find me:

Tuesday 9th: Art Bar Poetry Series, Toronto
Wednesday 10th: Nuyorican Wednesday Slam, New York
Friday 12th: Nuyorican Friday Slam / Open House, New York
Monday 15th: Readings at the Common, Toronto
Tuesday 16th: Boneshaker, Toronto
Thursday 18th: Burlington Poetry Slam
Friday 19th: London Poetry Slam
Saturday 20th: Guelph Poetry Slam
Sunday 21st: Words and Music, Montreal
Monday 22nd: The Poet in New York, The Bowery

I’m still open to more gigs — I arrive on Monday 8th, leave on Thursday 25th, and have a bit of travel budget left (I think!) You can read about me here, and get in touch at harry@harrygiles.org

I’ve had a few opinions about the independence referendum, here and there, you know. But lately, worn out a little bit from the campaigning gig trail, tired a little bit from my own haiverin guff I’ve found myself returning to a quieter place about it all, and looking for some very old advice.

When I was a wee undergraduate I studied the Tao Te Ching, producing a totally over-reaching dissertation called “A Daoist Theory of Political Practice” (yes, really). The book in a few different translations has stuck with me for a good decade now, and I hope it’ll stick with me for longer. I turn to it when I’m looking for advice — sometimes about life, but more often about how to do politics. (There’s a fantastic tradition of anarchist interpretations I’m particularly fond of.) So when trying to figure out what I think about the independence referendum, and in particular what I want out of the politics of country-building, I can’t think of anything better to read.

The Tao Te Ching offers utopian visions of a small, peaceful country; a country at ease with its neighbours; a country where nobody wants for anything, and where nobody strives for destructive riches. It speaks against the rapaciousness of the ruling classes and career politicians (“cry this the darg o reivers / n no the wey”). It explores what happens when small countries come into conflict with big ones. It’s confused about what the real differences between yes and no are, and speaks for a politics that’s less about control and more about transformation (“the warld’s a cog o speerit / n canna be owert”). I think it has a lot to tell us right now.

So here’s my last artistic contribution to the independence referendum debate: seven poems from the Tao Te Ching, versioned into Orkney Scots. I’m working in Orkney Scots partly because a small, quiet, rural language felt right for the project, but mostly just because it pleases me. The booklet includes an English glossary, and the recording above, from All Back to Bowie’s, has me reading English translations.

aald rede for biggin a kintra
(pdf download)

Thank you. Good luck. Take care.

Dear kids,

A few weeks ago, Santa got in touch with me (I was so wowed!) to ask for help. He’s been getting a bit depressed lately, because he’s become conscious of his essential complicity in appalling structural violence through the institution of Christmas. He asked me if I’d like to come on board as an Anticapitalist Apprentice Elf to help him take Christmas in a new revolutionary, and I was delighted to. Together we concocted a plan: get loads of good little boys, girls and genderqueers to ask for the revolution for Christmas.

On the 15th of August we solicited revolutionary letters to Santa all day at Out of the Blue as part of Buzzcut @ Forest Fringe. With 40 letters received, we were very pleased indeed, and proceeded with the next stage of the plan: a Facebook vote. Unfortunately, Santa’s investors aren’t too happy with his new direction, so we have a pretty limited budget to bring about the revolution. Originally we’d planned just to spend £5 on the highest-voted letter, but I’m pleased to announce that a surprise funding source has enabled us to treat the top five letter-writers to their Christmas wish. These were:

Paul, who wants localised horizontalism, ethical relations with non-humans, and identity fluidity. This will happen accidentally, with a sudden realisation. The revolutionary tactics will be secret societies publishing zen koan communiques, on which the five pound revolutionary budget will be spent.

 

Megan (11), who wants loads of money, shoes and clothes for everyone. This revolution will happen immediately and dangerously through letters, voting and blowing things up.

 

Zoë, who wants food for everyone, socialism, and more (and more celebration of) provocative female performance. This is a phased plan achieved through street protest, art and sex. Of the five pound revolutionary budget, £2 will be spent on a public free food project, £1.50 on a socialist project, and £1.50 on a provocative female performer’s kickstarter.

 

Henry, who wants every cunt to just get on wi each other, everyone to be provided with some means of livelihood, so that nobody’s under the frightful necessity of becoming first a thief and then a corpse, and the product of all labour to be the property of all people and individual appropriation to be ended. Also, no cops. This revolutionary should happen ceaselessly, through direct action, armed resistance and poetry. The five pound revolutionary budget will be spent on a book of poetry, a balaclava, and a brick.

 

& Shite, who wants, in some detail:
– a) Community owed and Locally controlled means for the reproduction of everyday life. Cooperatively run vertical Urban farms, Community Tech Workshops (Bike, Electrical, Woodwork etc), Social Centres, Local Green Energy & Housing Coops.
– b) A three day week & a sky-high pay.
– c) A complete deconstruction of All Nations, Nationalism, Borders & inherited privilege (including & not limited to; Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality, physical ability, Religious Background, & Institutional Attainment)
This revolution will happen gradually until there is mass engagement in a network of locally controlled community spaces exchanging value through local currencies, and making local decisions with direct democracy, followed by an immediate & concerted effort to destroy the shell of the old society by any means. Its main tactics will be street protest, direct action and shoplifting. The five pound revolutionary budget will be spent on self care, because self care is a radical act.

We’d like to take a moment to thank all the kids who wrote letters, even if we can’t afford their presents. They were absolutely brilliant. You too can enjoy all 40 revolutionary Christmas wishes, on Facebook here, or by downloading the complete letters with a pretty Christmas border.

Santa and I are going to be working hard to bring the downfall of globalised late capitalism down these children’s chimneys by Christmas. Our elves will be elving away, spending our £20 budget thusly:

• £5 on distributing revolutionary koan
• £5 on a book of poetry, a balaclava and a brick
• £2 on a free public food project
• £1.50 on a socialist campaign
• £1.50 on a provocative female performers’ kickstarter
• £5 on self-care

We had originally planned to have spent all this by the end of October, but given the expanded  budget we’re not planning to have completed all the activities by the end of November. We think the extra time will enhance the revolutionary potential of the work. We’ll be documenting everything thoroughly, and will let you know how the work is going in early December. That way, when the revolution comes on December 25th, you’ll know why.

Lastly, we wanted to share with you think kind words of one very good child, Freddie:

By the way, while some people see you as a symbol of heteronormativity, I’ve always seen you as a sort of genderless mythical being that expresses an asexual form of love and positivity to all humanity, and I really appreciate that.

Amen to that.

Forward the revolution! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Elf Harry xxx